Known in the prior art are the methods for conservation of living organs and tissues, used in medicine and involving placing said organs and tissues into special conserving solutions followed by storing them under hypothermic conditions International Meeting on Phosphocreatine in Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, 1989, 14-15 Apr., Schiapparelli Searle (Pavia) P. Mastroberto, "Analisi degli effetti della creatina-fosfato in aggiunta a soluzione cardioplegica", p. 335-342.
Particular difficulties are encountered in conservation during surgical operations and transplantation of such an intensively functioning organ as the heart which is characterized by intensive metabolic processes and energy consumption during its contractions. If only a few years ago the surgeons were capable of protecting the heart against total ischemia by means of cardioplegia in the course of the ist hour, at present the cooling and chemical cardioplegia suggested by the Royal St. Thomas Institute and Hospital (Great Britain) ensures successful conservation of the heart for as long as 4 h. Plegisol (a commercial preparation) based on the cardioplegic solution worked out by the St. Thomas Hospital and manufactured by the Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, U.S.A., is widely used in clinical practice. Introduction of this preparation has improved cellular protection during lengthy open-heart operations, contributed to further improvement of surgical techniques and extended the period of conservation which is indispensable for heart transplantation (International Meeting on Phosphocreatine in Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, 1989, 14-15 April. Schiapparelli Searle (Pavial) D. J. Hearse "Protection of the Ischemic Myocardium: Cardioplegia", p. 173-183.
However, the conventionally recognized time of heart conservation (4 h) is insufficient for carrying it over large distances, to any point of the globe, where it has to be transplanted to a recipient. The increased duration of conservation must be combined with improved quality and reliability of protecting the cells against ischemic and reperfusion damage.